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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29237616">The Acrobat, The Alien, and The Abyss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper'>kibasniper</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Femslash February 2021 [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Psychonauts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Diving, F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February 2021, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Holding Hands, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Some Humor, Sunsets, Swimming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:48:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,229</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29237616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A little older and attending Whispering Rock for the first time, Mirtala faces Lake Oblongata with giddiness and hesitation. She knows she won't drown anymore, but the curse lingers in the back of her mind. Chloe offers an opportunity to overcome her apprehension.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mirtala Aquato/Chloe Barge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Femslash February 2021 [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Acrobat, The Alien, and The Abyss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>femslash february 2021 prompt 6: mermaid au.</p><p>i'm not doing the aus but just rather the word before it like the other fics! as soon as i saw "mermaid," my brain jumped to mirtala/chloe. will they meet in pn2? unlikely, slim to none chance. but i think they could be a nice pairing!! i've talked about them on twitter a bit, and i really like the idea of them dating for a few summers before ending things on a positive 'let's stay as friends' note (mirtala will always call chloe her favorite ex). i'd say they're two years older here!</p><p>and as a general note, this story was written before pn2's release, so any ooc-ness on mirtala's part can be blamed on speculation from the few shots in the trailers and memory vaults we got from her.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Waves rippled against the shore. Not a single line of foam was left behind when the water receded. Mirtala stood by the shoreline, digging her toes into the wet sand. When another wave lapped across her feet, she sighed, the lukewarm water pleasant under the beating hot sun.</p><p>Lake Oblongata was cleaner than Mirtala expected. Considering Whispering Rock was a summer camp, she anticipated a spread of liquid filth in the lake. Instead of soda cans and rotten fish carcasses contaminating the lake, the water retained a soft, pleasant green hue, untainted.</p><p><i>And not a creepy cursed hand in sight,</i> she thought, giggling to herself.</p><p>With quick steps, she hurried onto the docks. Her feet pitter-pattered on the creaking wooden planks. She kept one hand on the rope railing, a slight coarseness brushing against her palm as she ran.</p><p>Mirtala approached the bathysphere and grinned at her distorted reflection. She flashed pearly white, crooked teeth at herself. She had tied her usual ringlets into a high ponytail, leaving her precious bells locked and secured in the trunk underneath her bunk. Instead of her usual attire of her mother’s handstitched linen garbs, she wore a garishly yellow swimsuit. Whispering Rock’s logo was emblazoned on the front. It had been given to her on her first day by Milla Vodello, who in her humble opinion was the <i>best</i> Psychonaut, when she admitted to never owning one.</p><p>“If you were cursed to drown pretty much all your life, swimming is the last thing you wanna do. Take it from me,” Mirtala had joked, but Milla didn’t laugh. Instead, she had retrieved a leftover, unused swimsuit from the closet in the lodge and gifted it to her.</p><p>But as she reminisced, the water broke in the bathysphere’s reflection. Waves jutted upwards and onto the docks. Droplets licked her ankles. Mirtala’s eyes widened, and her lips tightened into a thin line. Her shoulders hitched upwards, and she pivoted on her heels, disbelief etched into her expression.</p><p>A human hand grabbed the soggy wood. Mirtala’s worries deflated instantly.</p><p>Chloe pulled herself onto the planks and sat down. Water gushed out from her helmet and poured onto her knees. She shook her head, spraying droplets in every direction. </p><p>“Give a girl a warning before you pop out of nowhere,” Mirtala teased, skipping over to her.</p><p>Chloe turned her head, nodding in acknowledgement. “Greetings, Mirtala. I rarely see you by the lake.”</p><p>She shrugged and plopped next to her. “This place isn’t really for me. I like the woods more.” She grinned, leaning closer. “Anyway, what’s up?”</p><p>“What is up is that I’m researching aquatic lifeforms. New underwater creatures have made Lake Oblongata their home,” Chloe replied, dipping her toes back into the lake. “It seems most of them have chosen to live farther out in the lake rather than stay close to the shore.”</p><p>Mirtala nodded, following Chloe’s gaze when she tilted her head to look at the other side of the docks. “So, were you going to swim farther out?”</p><p>“Affirmative.” Chloe stood up. She found a sliver of the sun dipping into the lake, casting a blood orange glow onto the water. A shade of violet was painted over the clouds and sky. Humming, she gripped the rope railings. “But there will be no natural light soon. It will be nearly impossible for me to see underwater, but venturing out would be beneficial for my research.” She gandered at Mirtala’s swimsuit. “You are still dry despite wearing that. Did you not swim?”</p><p>Her eyebrows raised. The question hit her like a brick to the skull. “Oh, uh, I was going to,” Mirtala mumbled, rubbing her neck. “I guess I lost track of time trying to find, um, a scavenger hunt item.”</p><p>“Which one?”</p><p>Mirtala glanced at the water. “The voodoo doll.”</p><p>“It is located in the lodge above the rafters.” Chloe crossed her arms. “You are fibbing.”</p><p>Grimacing, Mirtala huffed and mimed Chloe’s pose. “You’re too keen for your own good. You’re lucky you’re cute or I’d take your helmet off and keep it for myself.”</p><p>Mirtala noticed the corners of Chloe’s lips rising in a slight grin behind her faceplate. Chloe glanced at her up and down, her expression retaining perfect neutrality. Not a hint of emotion betrayed her thoughts.</p><p>“I remember from our first week of camp,” Chloe said, leaning into the railing, “that when you swam for the first time, you could only, as humans say, ‘doggy paddle.’”</p><p>Chagrin painted two scarlet splotches on her freckled cheeks. Someone her age should have already learned a variety of swimming techniques. Freestyle stroke, backstroke, butterfly stroke, she should have mastered them when she was younger, but the curse had stripped her family of those opportunities.</p><p>She was still young. There wasn’t anything impeding her from learning how to swim now that the curse had been lifted. And she was an acrobat who flipped, twirled, and somersaulted in midair. Coordination was her middle name. After all, she had learned to doggy paddle before any of her siblings knew how to float.</p><p>But in summer camp, there came a stigma. Everyone else knew how to swim. They were diving, cannonballing, and swimming laps around her. While she remained by the shore, the PSI cadets embraced the call of the ocean, and she resented how carelessly they threw themselves into the water.</p><p>“Mirtala?” Chloe asked, and she jumped, snapping her head up. “I am sorry if I assumed. You seemed deep in thought.”</p><p>“Well, when you have to live with a curse dead set on drowning you from the moment you’re born, you don’t tend to swim,” she remarked, bitterness coating each word.</p><p>Chloe hummed. It was a sound Mirtala usually heard when something struck Chloe’s interest. She couldn’t count the amount of times Chloe hummed during the day. There was always so much happening around camp that piqued her curiosity. Whether it was the discovery of a new trail or drama among the campers, Mirtala knew Chloe was already thinking of ways to pursue what interested her. Some might have deemed it socially awkward, but Mirtala thought it was one of Chloe’s more interesting quirks with how her scratchy voice reverberated and pitched at the end of the note.</p><p>Much to Mirtala’s bewilderment, Chloe reached out and took her hand. She guided her to the other railing, saying, “Then, perhaps you can accompany me. As we discussed, I would like to go out a little farther for continued exploration. At the same time, you can have some experience swimming. Is that feasible?”</p><p>“Like an underwater date!” Mirtala gushed, pumping her fists in the air. Any traces of spite vanished in the blink of an eye.</p><p>“It would be more like an underwater excursion.”</p><p>“Same difference.”</p><p>“There is actually a large difference between the meanings of those words.” Chloe raised the upper rope and stepped through them She held it for Mirtala, who squeezed herself through as well. “So, here is what we will do. I don’t believe it would be wise if you clung to me.”</p><p>“That would definitely be a one-way ticket to Drown Town,” Mirtala said, nodding.</p><p>“Instead, take my hand-” Chloe grabbed Mirtala’s hand and squeezed. “-and we will swim in tandem.”</p><p>A grin split on Mirtala’s face. She nodded and laced their fingers together. Chloe held out her other hand in front of them. She extended three fingers one at a time. On three, they took deep breaths, held them, and dove into the water.</p><p>Mirtala squinted. The water was surprisingly murkier below the surface. The docks became nothing but shadows above her head. She felt Chloe tug on her hand and was dragged down. She kicked her legs, her hand still being pulled by Chloe through the water. Despite the growing chill as they descended, warmth in Chloe’s palm spread up Mirtala’s arm and soothed her.</p><p>They found an odd, unified rhythm, although Chloe pulled most of their weight. Mirtala felt the water press down on her back and core. But at the same time, she was weightless, like she would float to the surface at any second. The colors of the water had darkened, shades of green and blue with hints of orange sparkling by to the surface. Coming closer was the sandy ground, the water billowing grains and pebbles around their ankles. Lungfish swam past them, skimming her legs and feet with their smooth gills. She marveled at the common sight of fish in their natural habitat, something she had never experienced before and almost laughed.</p><p>She turned her head back to Chloe and focused on her movements. Her legs and arms cut through the waves. The water cast a pleasant glow around Chloe, crowning her helmet like a halo. Wearing her light purple swimsuit as she swam, Chloe seemed majestic, and instead of an alien, Mirtala could have been tricked into believing she was a mermaid.</p><p>Chloe paused her strokes and spared a glance at Mirtala. They caught eyes, Mirtala feeling her cheeks heat up once again despite the chill in the water. Chloe grinned, straining her rounded cheeks. Mirtala returned it with one of her own, snorting air bubbles out of her nose as she tried not to laugh.</p><p>But her delight overwhelmed her. Laughter escaped her. Air bubbles spewed out of Mirtala’s mouth. Her eyes shot open. She struggled to close her mouth, jerking her hands to her lips. She swallowed, choking on sandy water. Her lungs compressed, lightheadedness coming in hard and blurring the corners of her eyes. She pawed at the water, her fingers gliding through it in a blind panic until Chloe found her hands.</p><p>Chloe kicked upwards. She rapidly pumped her legs, keeping Mirtala steady. Mirtala burbled weak, frenetic cries, which went unanswered as Chloe shot for the surface. Mirtala nestled into her neck, pushing Chloe’s helmet aside. A muffled yelp erupted from Chloe as it toppled off her head, drifting below them, but hearing Mirtala whimper into her ear, she shivered and quickened her ascent.</p><p>Mirtala broke the surface. She gagged on her own breathing. She rapidly blinked water out of her eyes, her surroundings becoming more like a strobe light. Gasping, she whirled in place, her hands instinctively paddling in place to keep her afloat.</p><p>“Chloe?” she called, shivering.</p><p>Chloe popped up behind her, and Mirtala yipped. She clutched her helmet to her chest. Smoothing her short, blonde bangs back, Chloe fixed her lopsided bow, and Mirtala wondered how it managed to stay on her head underwater. Chloe wiped her eyes, which Mirtala noticed were an even brighter shade of green. They were normally darkened by the faceplate, but up close, they reminded Mirtala of the clear cuts of jade her mother kept in her jewelry box. </p><p>“Are you okay? Sorry I knocked off your helmet,” Mirtala asked as Chloe caught her breath.</p><p>“My helmet is secured, and I am fine, earthling. I’m more concerned about you. Your reaction was quite severe,” she replied, setting her helmet on her head.</p><p>“Me?” She pointed at herself and chuckled. “Aw, I’m okay. Nearly drowning is normalized in my family, but I guess even someone as cool-headed as me can panic sometimes.”</p><p>Chloe hummed. “That is a very disconcerting and possibly untrue statement.”</p><p>Mirtala giggled. “I know, but at least I’m not hotwiring cars to explode like Maloof’s family.” She thrust herself towards the shore, kicking and splashing water onto Chloe. “Oops! My bad.”</p><p>“Beginner’s mistake. No harm done,” she said, following her.</p><p>They swam back to the docks. Chloe slowed down to keep her pace with Mirtala’s sloppier swimming technique. As they swam, the sun shone a brilliant scarlet across the lake and stretched their shadows across the water. Mirtala glanced over her shoulder, taking in the sight with a small smile on her face. She bobbed in place, slapping the water as she paddled to stay afloat. Stray waves pushed her around, knocking into her shoulders and jaw, and she laughed, thoroughly enjoying what the water provided her.</p><p>Chloe reached the docks first and hoisted herself up. Mirtala followed suit, scooting on to the center of the planks. She stumbled to her feet, and her knees knocked together. Gazing out at the lake, Mirtala grinned. She leaned over the railing facing the shore, a school of lungfish scurrying underneath the docks. Peering over her shoulder at Chloe, she asked, “Hey, I’m up for more underwater exploring if you are. Do you wanna keep swimming?” She snickered. “I promise I won’t make you drop your helmet into the abyss this time.”</p><p>Chloe squinted at the sunset. “There is approximately fifteen minutes before the lake is in total darkness.” She cupped her chin and nodded. “I believe that is enough time for another quick investigation.”</p><p>“Yay!” Mirtala wasted no time snatching Chloe’s hand and plunging over the railing.</p><p>“Ah, hey, wait a min-!”</p><p>Chloe’s voice was silenced by the water breaching her airwaves. She flopped over onto her back, diving downwards as Mirtala kicked her hands and feet to go lower. Mirtala resembled more of a strange, limping frog than a swimmer, but Chloe kept that mental image to herself. Mirtala smiled at her, and Chloe was compelled to return it, her arm brushing against Mirtala’s shoulder.</p><p>Their hands found each other again. Together, they dove into the depths of Lake Oblongata.</p>
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